To Hope...and Second Chances
by Jesfrealo
Summary: This was written in response to a challange to write a story about Ella Gaines returning pregnant. If you haven't seen the episode Obsession you will not understand this fic.


[CHALLENGE 10] **__**

To Hope and…Second Chances

By: Jesfrealo

Authors Note: This is in response to a challenge from Robin to write a story about what would happen if Ella Gaines were to reappear in Chris' life pregnant. This story will make no sense if you haven't seen the episode _Obsession._

~*~

She was well aware of the fact that those morons standing between her and her man thought that she was insane, obsessed with a long lost love. Foolish, foolish men. She wasn't obsessed. She was simply showing Chris the great love they held for one another that he could not see himself. She wanted him, yes. But could one go so far as to say she was obsessed? Certainly not. 

However, now all of that was inconsequential. None of it mattered anymore because now nothing would stand between her and Chris. Now, she finally had the thing that could make him see the truth. That they were soul mates. They were meant to be together for eternity and now Chris would see that. Now he would finally see that. And on top of getting Chris, she would also punish those six men for taking him away from her. But first things first, it was time she took a trip to Four Corners.

~*~

Chris' physical wounds had healed well since his…less then happy reacquaintance with Ella Gaines. The emotional wounds though, were harder to bear, although he felt he had dealt well with those too. In the past, he would have crawled back into the bottle after such an earth-shattering discovery so soon after coming to believe that he had once more found love. To discover that this love was really the murderer of his family was a source of indescribable pain for the gunslinger. And he was sure he would have crawled back into the bottle and gotten himself killed with the rage he had felt. Even beyond that Chris was still trying to figure out how he had not seen her insanity. How it had escaped him. Moreover, how he had been willing to leave the people who had saved him from certain death for _her_, the monster that murdered his family. It especially scared him that he had so easily been turned against Vin, of all people. For a little while he had felt as if the walls of his life were once more closing in on him. But his friends had once more pulled him from that slump and helped him back to life, as they always did. He had come to depend on them while he regained his strength, physically and emotionally. Most significantly and reassuringly for the gunslinger, Vin Tanner had been there for him at every turn and that was a true source of comfort to Chris. He knew well that he'd been in a rare state of vulnerability lately. For those first few days back in town, Chris was extremely vulnerable and he knew that had Vin backlashed after Chris' wrong dressing-down of the man, Chris wasn't sure he could have handled it. He supposed what bothered him most now was that the bitch had gotten away. But after reading that letter and recalling her shrine of obsession, her words, the murder of his family, he knew Ella Gaines would return and when she did, he would kill her.

~*~

The ride in the Concord was bumpy and miserable. And Ella Gaines was incredibly nauseous. However, she decided, it was a good sickness. It was morning sickness. The child inside her was the key to showing Chris the error of his thinking. The things she went through for that man! He was a fool, but she still loved him. And soon they would have a child, but more importantly he would finally realize how lucky he was to have her. 

"Folks," The driver interrupted her thoughts, "We've arrived at Eagle Bend."

"Oh, my, I hadn't even realized," She stated happily to the other passengers.

As Ella exited the Concord, she turned toward the doctor's office in the town. Her intention was to have the baby checked and to find out when it was due, so that she could determine when to enter Four Corners and give Chris the wonderful news.

~*~

"Well, ma'am," Dr. Finch said, "I'd say you're about three months along. Where did you say you were headin'?"

"Four Corners," She responded.

"Ma'am may I ask why? In your delicate condition it ain't a real good idea to be travelin', let alone to a town like Four Corners."

"I'm going so that I can meet my husband," Ella told him.

"Oh, well then, I reckon you ought to go, just be careful and take in nice 'n easy," The kindly older gentleman advised.

"Oh, don't worry," She said as she placed a hand on her stomach, "I won't let a thing happen to this little bundle." 

"Ma'am what'd you say your name was again?" The doctor asked, taking a second thought on the name she had given earlier and the place she was headed.

"Mrs. Chris Larabee," She and abruptly turned and walked out of the office, leaving behind a puzzled doctor.

"Seems to me, that's the name 'a that gunslinger thereabouts Four Corners…naw, he couldn't of remarried, could he?" The doctor said to himself, before brushing the matter aside and going back to filling out his charts. At that point, he pulled a new one and started filling it out for a Mrs. Chris Larabee, having a feeling he would be seeing her again, and not wanting to forget the name.

~*~

"Oh, this is just perfect," Ella Gaines said to herself while in the hotel in Eagle Bend. "Soon Chris and I will be together forever." 

With that final statement made she finished brushing out her hair before quickly braiding it and getting to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a big and wonderful day, and she wanted to be well rested. After all, she had a big day tomorrow. She had to travel to Four Corners and tell Chris the good news.

~*~

Chris had finally started to get back into the swing of everyday life again. Today, he had gone out to Nettie Wells' place to help Vin repair a busted fence. It had been a good day by all accounts, but he was bone-tired. It seemed like even the smallest tasks sucked all the energy out of him. He hated it. But what could you do? 

Chris shook his head a little at his own internal conversation. He was spending way too much time with the others. He casually reached into his pocket and got the key to his room. An involuntary shiver went down his spine as he unlocked and turned the doorknob. As the door opened Chris had a sense of foreboding he couldn't explain. 

He walked into his room and quickly looked around. In the dark, he saw nothing so he let his guard down and began undressing. He, first, removed his duster and quickly hung it up. As he turned and began removing his gun belt, he felt arms encircling him from behind and hands beginning to unbuckle the gun belt for him. At that same moment another shiver went down his spine. Quickly, he looked down at those hands. Though, it was almost pitch black he immediately recognized them. 

Before he could physically react, his mind raced, as he felt her hands on him. The gun belt was long gone but her hands were finding more and more intimate places to touch. He felt himself sliding into a place he couldn't go. But it was as if his body was frozen, at least, most of his body was frozen.

Suddenly, control returned to him, and he spun around to face his own personal demon before he lost all control. Upon, turning around he saw that his first suspicions about her identity were right. And, once again he stood face to face with Ella Gaines. 

"Hello, Chris," She said seductively.

He made no response but looked her straight in the eyes as before she had a chance to realize what was going to happen he backhanded her. His hand made brutal contact with her right cheek. She fell to the floor, in a heap, without uttering a sound.

The pain she felt was searing, however she did not loose consciousness. Before she had any opportunity to recover Chris was once more atop her, throwing his fists into her body while a litany of curses spewed from his mouth. 

Ella knew that if she didn't stop her love soon, all would be lost. However, she could not help but wonder what was wrong with him? After all she'd done for him, how could he do this to her? How could he hurt her with such deep love between them? But as she felt the tinges of blackness enter her eyes she put a voice to perhaps the one thing she thought could quell his passionate rage. "Chris," She screamed at the top of her lungs. To both hers and the gunslinger's surprise he momentarily stopped the beating.

For the life of him, Chris didn't know why he'd stopped. "What?" He said ferociously. 

"I'm pregnant," She said, with little emotion but looking past the bruises already forming on her face you could see a sadistic smile forming on her lips.

"So?" Chris said dispassionately feeling no emotion at her besides rage. And certainly no emotion for the child inside her whether he had fathered it or not. Any child she mothered would be better off dead, and that was his intention for this evil progeny. 

With that line of thought gone from his mind the white-hot rage seeped back over him and his fists began once more. He was only vaguely aware that she was screaming and pleading with him. All he could think about was the satisfaction of killing her. But suddenly, something else invaded his mind. And just as suddenly his fists stopped. 

Ella lay unconscious on the floor, with Chris straddling her as a way of holding her down. As he sat there, Sarah entered his mind. Well, not Sarah, but visions of the precious woman he had loved and still did love so much. He knew what she would think of what he was doing. He knew she would think it was disgusting. She would hate him for it. He had no right to kill that baby. It wasn't the baby's fault that its mother was a lunatic, that was his fault. 

"Oh, Sarah, what do I do?" He asked aloud, as he ran his bloodied hands over his face, as if gesturing defeat. He sat there a moment longer before making up his mind. 

He got himself off of her quickly. Then reached down and picked her up. It was time to go to Nathan's.

~*~

Minutes later, Nathan Jackson heard a knock at his door. Glancing at his watch, he knew only an emergency would bring someone to his door at this time of night. As he went to answer the door, he mentally prepared himself for whatever was coming.

He wasn't ready for it.

Upon opening the door he was, to say the least, greeted with an odd sight. Chris Larabee was standing at the door holding a bloodied, beaten woman in his arms. Chris had an odd look on his face, one that Nathan really couldn't describe except to say the man had a look in his eyes that frightened the healer. 

"What happened to he…" Nathan stopped when the light hit the woman's face. Despite the significant bruise covering it was clear that the woman before him was Ella Gaines.

"Chris…"

"Nathan, could you tell if she's pregnant?"

Nathan paused a moment, mentally double-taking what he'd just heard. "Yeah," He said a little uncertainly, then his voice strengthening he reaffirmed, "Yes, yes I can."

"Okay, so could you also tell how far along she is, if she's pregnant at all?"

"Yeah, probably," Nathan said, "But I cain't promise nothing there, it's real hard to tell sometimes."

"That's okay, Nathan, just do what you can," Chris said as he laid her down on one of the beds.

Immediately, the healer in Nathan sprang into action leaving behind any question in her treatment. He began examining her for broken ribs and other broken bones, and cleaning her wounds, that is, until he felt Chris' hand restraining his own from continuing. 

"Check to see if she's pregnant first," Chris ordered in a voice that barred no argument. 

Nathan swallowed thickly, not only at Chris' tone but more that look in his eyes. Nathan was not a man easily intimidated. In the life he'd led he couldn't be. However, right now Chris was a loose cannon and Nathan wasn't sure he wanted to be any part of whatever Chris intended to do. Despite his doubts, though, Nathan nodded. Pushing away his healer instincts he began his examination to determine whether or not she was pregnant. It didn't take him long to find that she was, indeed, with child.

He turned to face Chris who had seated himself just feet away, "She's definitely in the family way, Chris," Nathan began, Chris' face showed no emotion, "I'd say she'd a little more then three and a half months along."

"Alright," Chris said, voice still unemotional, however the scary look in his eyes was gone. It had been replaced by a more shell-shocked expression laced with a deep sadness. 

Chris stood up and walked over to the bed where he began to pick her up. This was when Nathan finally took a stand. "Whoa, where do you think you're going?"

"I'm taking her to jail," Chris said menacingly.

Nathan placed his hands on Chris' arms in much the same way that Chris had done to him earlier. "Sit down, Chris," This was Nathan the healer and not even Chris Larabee was going to mess with that. "We gotta talk."

"Okay," Chris conceded.

"You want this baby?"

"I don't know," Chris said obviously frustrated with everything that was going on. On the other hand Nathan was happy to see the rage and fury was gone from the Chris placed by a more sensible man that was the closest Nathan had seen to the real Chris Larabee. 

"Alright then, do you want the baby to live?" 

"Yeah," Chris said quietly.

"Okay, then you've got to leave her here and let me fix her up 'cause if ya don't she's gonna loose that baby. She might anyway," Nathan warned gravely. "Now you take yourself outside there and set. This is gonna take awhile and I don't want ya here for it, though, ya might git Josiah for me." 

"Okay, I'll go. But you make sure to tie her to the bed and she's never left unsupervised and always gagged," Nathan was about to argue but Chris stopped him, "You've got your rules and I've got mine. The only reason the bitch is still alive is because the baby don't deserve to die for my mistakes." 

To that Nathan couldn't argue.

~*~

Chris had found Josiah sanding pews in his church. He'd told him Nathan needed his help but hadn't specified whom it was that Nathan needed help with. Josiah, always the observer of the human nature, noted that he seemed distant and disconnected. But hadn't questioned it because regardless of Chris' slightly off behavior, if Nathan was asking for him, he could rest assured that the healer really needed the help, though he had to admit the way Chris was behaving was giving him a strange feeling.

The two men had walked in silence to Nathan's clinic. When they reached the closed door of the boarding house Chris sat on the bench outside the door without a word as Josiah went in. 

With the passing time, the bruising on Ella's face was darkening and beginning to swell severely so, Josiah didn't immediately recognize her. He had simply picked up the cloth sitting in a basin of water and started to help clean the wounds, he knew Nathan would give him the information he needed in due time, right now the healer seemed busy. Josiah found himself questioning what monster could have shamelessly and brutally beaten the woman, that was, until he examined her more closely. He saw the resemblance to Ella Gaines and with a sudden burst of inner conformation he rather quietly uttered the words, "Holy God Almighty."

"Yeah," Nathan sighed, "That's how I feel."

There were a lot of things Josiah wanted to ask his friend. Was it really _she_? Why were they helping her? Why didn't Chris kill her? He couldn't even begin to make the situation make sense in his mind. Josiah tried to form a question but unsure what to ask first he said simply, "Nathan?"

Nathan understood perfectly and though deeply in work he answered, "I'm not sure why she came but it looks like they met somewhere he planned on beating her to death and somewhere along the line she told him she was pregnant, I guess that's when he brought her here."

"She's…pregnant?" Josiah asked unable to imagine what Chris was going through knowing the murderer of his family was now also carrying his child. 

"Yeah, and he seems real sure it's his. Then again I guess since she was so obsessed and since around the time I think the baby was conceived they were together she probably is telling the truth," Nathan said with yet another sigh and a shake of his head.

Now it all made sense, Josiah thought to himself. He also found he had a newfound respect for the black clad gunslinger. It would have taken mass amounts of control to stop himself when he did, and, truthfully, before now, Josiah wouldn't believed that Chris had that kind of control over himself. He'd never displayed it in the past. 

After that they worked in silence. It was about an hour and a half later when they finally completed their work. Josiah stepped back from the table and watched curiously as Nathan securely tied Ella's hands and feet to the bedposts and gagged her. 

"Nathan, do you think she should be like that in her state?" Josiah asked, surprised the healer would do that.

"No, but Chris insists, and you try arguing with him," When he saw that Josiah understood he addressed the defrocked priest once more, "Josiah, will you watch her while I go talk to Chris?"

"Nathan, she's unconscious and will stay that way for quite awhile," Josiah reasoned.

"I know, this is another of Chris' rules."

"Oh," Josiah said suddenly finding himself not in the least surprised by any of Chris' rules. With that Josiah seated himself in the chair next to the bed and began reading the scriptures.

~*~

Nathan exited the room and turned to talk to Chris. "How'd it go, Nathan?" Chris addressed him first, sounding oddly nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Alright, I s'pose. She's doin' okay, but I'm still real worried about the baby. Plus with her bein' crazy like she is, who knows how she's gonna act when she wakes up?"

"You think the baby 'll make it?" Chris asked Nathan in a soft voice.

"It might, it might not. I really can't tell. It really depends on the mother. How tough her body is and such. And also it can have to do with the mother's thinkin'. If she don't want the baby, it's more likely to die. If she does, then it's more likely not to."

"Okay, I'll go in there and watch her," Chris started to get up, but Nathan's voice stopped him.

"You sure that's a good idea, Chris?"

"Yeah," Chris stated, giving Nathan the firm indication that he did not appreciate the question. 

"Wait, Chris, what comes next?" With that, Chris sat back down.

"What do you mean?" He asked sounding kind of suspicious. 

"I mean what are we gonna do with her. If the baby does live, we can't keep her tied to a bed in my clinic until it's born. Plus, by the time the birth comes, if it comes, who knows what she'll be thinkin'? If a woman don't want to have a baby, we cain't really git it outta her."

Chris sort of made a groaning noise and said, "I haven't gotten that far, Nathan. Maybe we should wire Judge Travis. I guess I'm in over my head. Besides, if I cain't kill her now, and I cain't leave he hog tied in that room 'till she ain't got no reason to be left alive, I want her to hang for killing my family. But to do that, the bitch needs a trial. Besides, maybe Judge Travis will have some idea what to do, 'cause I sure as hell don't."

With those words being said Chris got up and entered the clinic to relieve Josiah. Meanwhile, Nathan got up to go wire the judge.

~*~

When the judge had heard the knock on his door in the middle of the night he immediately expected the worse, it was, after all, the nature of his profession. However the telegram he got had him truly puzzled and extremely concerned. It read:

Judge Travis please come to Four Corners immediately STOP Need trial for Larabee murderer STOP Need help on how to deal with tough problem STOP Yours Sincerely, Nathan Jackson STOP 

The judge was forced to send back a message stating that it would be at least a month until he could arrive, for he was already in the middle of a murder trial.

~*~

The next morning, six of the magnificent seven found themselves in the Standish Tavern enjoying one of Inez' fine meals. Nathan or Josiah had made them all aware of a meeting early that morning late the night before. To all of the four men who were not aware of the goings on the night before it all seemed strange and all the more were there suspicions aroused because of their leaders absence from the meeting.

"What's goin' on, Nate? Where's Chris?" Vin asked, clearly concerned. He didn't understand what could have happened overnight. He knew Chris wasn't hurt because Nathan would have told him straight out the night before. But at the same time the tracker knew that something had to have happened because in didn't make any sense that Chris wasn't there. Vin didn't understand what could have happened, yesterday he and Chris had spent the day together and the gunslinger had been better then Vin had seen him since they'd gone out to Ella Gaines' place a few months back.

"Well…" Nathan was about to start to explain the situation as be he could when he was interrupted by Chris' arrival.

"I'll explain, Nate, if either you or Josiah will go keep an eye on her," Chris said.

"Okay, Chris, I'll go, got to check on her anyway," Nathan said, as he got up and headed out the door, noting the extremely confused looks on the faces of their friends.

"Who?" Buck asked concerned for the stoic gunslinger as much as Vin. He'd been trying to keep an extra close eye on his friend since everything with Ella Gaines had happened. He had been concerned that the gunslinger might do something crazy or fall back into the bottle but up to this point the ladies' man had been pleasantly surprised. He hoped the crisis wasn't just beginning. However, seeing Chris made him feel a little better. The man looked a little strange, although Buck couldn't quite place _how_ he looked strange, just that he did. But the man didn't look hung-over and he was sober, so hopefully all his worrying was in vain. But he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Yeah, cowboy, what's goin' on here?" Vin made himself heard once, while the other men nodded their heads in agreement with Buck and Vin's statements 

"Okay, everybody listen up good 'cause I only plan on sayin' all this once," As all the men looked on, Chris looked up and made eye contact for the first time. It was only at that point that the rest of the men really sat up in their chairs and realized the gravity of the situation, despite the fact that the situation itself was still unknown to them. "Last night, I found Ella Gaines in my bedroom, waiting for me. When I saw her I started beating the living crap out of her until all of the sudden she said she was pregnant. I stopped and took her to Nathan's. She's still there now and Nathan wired the judge. He wired back and said he wouldn't be able to get here for at least a month. Nathan figures we can keep her tied up in his clinic 'til then. Hopefully the bitch won't heal too fast," His voice had remained completely unemotional, as if he were reading from a script, until the last sentence, which he spewed out in anger and frustration. He abruptly got up and got a bottle of whiskey and shot glass from Inez. He brought them back to the table and began to drink his breakfast.

All the men were still in something of a state of shock when Chris returned to their table. "Chris," Josiah said having been prepared since he already knew the truth, "would you come with me?"

"Where?" Chris asked a little viciously, as he gulped down his third shot in about two minutes.

"Chris, just come," Josiah said, in a voice that commanded the gunslingers attention and managed to get him to go with the ex-preacher.

Chris nodded, took one last shot, and followed Josiah out the door. They left the rest of the seven, still in a state of shock.

~*~

Judge Travis knew that he had to get to Four Corners. He wasn't a man who typically believed in superstition or things beyond the ordinary. He wasn't a man who followed visions or expected divine intervention, nor had he ever before, in all his life, gotten a "gut feeling". However, just this once he was making an exception. Because just this once he had gotten what he could only describe as a "gut feeling". So, as a result, he was breaking what he considered a cardinal rule of being a judge. He was leaving a murder trial that he'd begun and turning it over to another judge. He knew this made things much more difficult for everyone involved in the trial he was leaving. Never mind, how much of his credibility as a judge it took away from him. Right now, though, he felt he was doing what he had to do. 

So, as a result of these alien feelings the judge found himself exiting the town where a day ago he'd been conducting a murder trial and heading to another town with its own murder trial in waiting.

~*~

"What do you gentlemen grasp from this rather odd situation?" Ezra Standish found himself asking when he finally got a hold of himself after Chris' shocking news.

"I cain't make heads er tails of it," Vin said still sounding as if in a state of shock.

"Chris is holdin' an awful lot back," Buck found himself commenting. "He's tryin' ta act like everthins' fine, and it ain't," Buck finished with a sigh and he had a rare sad expression on his face. It was clear that he expected the proverbial walls to come crashing down and once more he envisioned the beyond difficult task of trying to put those same walls back up. 

All the men suddenly got pictures in their minds as to the daunting task, which that would be. They had all sensed Chris' odd behavior. They all sensed something of his downfall in this, and suddenly they all felt a certain fear at what would become of them all should their leader fall. 

"Well, then we gotta do somethin' ta help 'im," JD implored. He felt this sense of fear and foreboding as much as the rest of them and he was unashamed to say it scared him to think of loosing the Chris he'd come to know. 

"Gentlemen, I feel the need to comment that it is entirely possible that Mr. Sanchez has already seen this turn in our fearless leader and is currently doing something to remedy the problem," Ezra spoke once more. He was as worried as the rest of them, despite the fact that to look at him nobody could tell that he felt any distress. However, their ornery leader had shown the gambler a lot. He'd given him a second chance when no one else ever would have. In reality, Ezra felt that he finally had a life and he gave credit for that to Chris Larabee. Though, he would only admit it if guns were involved.

"Yeah, Ez, maybe yer right, but Chris ain't one ta talk 'bout his feelin's. If that's what Josiah took 'im ta do, Chris might not 'ppreciate it, iffin' ya git my meanin'," Vin commented.

"Yer right , Vin. If that's what Josiah's up to it probably's just gonna blow up in his face, knowin' Chris. 'Cause Chris don't appreciate nobody buttin' into his business," Buck affirmed and the others could do nothing but nod in their agreement with his and Vin's statements.

~*~

In the meantime, Josiah and Chris walked. Josiah was trying to think of a reasonable way to start conversation, but he could find none. So he opted for honesty, at least, sort of.

"Chris, are you okay?" He probed gently; not wanting to get the man mad at him although he already sensed that this little try at talking with the gunslinger was probably going to end in disaster.

"I'm fine," Chris spit out in rapid fire as if saying quickly would add truth to it that he couldn't add with true sincerity. Chris really wasn't a good liar. Especially when it came to lying to friends. He'd always been horrible at it and now was no exception. 

"Chris, I'm worried about you," Josiah confessed honestly.

"Well…there ain't no need, I'm fine," He said much more harshly then he had first intended. 

"You are not fine. Anyone who knows you at all can see that you're anything but fine. Chris," Josiah fairly pleaded, "you shouldn't be fine. But you have to stop acting like you're fine when you're not. Now, we both know you're only pretending to face this. When it finally hits you it's gonna be too much and it's gonna tear you to pieces. But what you don't realize and what I think the rest of us are running scared of is that we'll fall to pieces too, if you do…" He was about to continue but Chris rather violently interrupted him.

"Shut up!"

"No! You need to face the reality Chris!" 

"Leave me alone!"

"You're running from the truth!"

"No, I'm not! I know the truth, I know it too well, that's my whole fucking problem!" Chris screamed while he and Josiah stood in the street just in front of the church. It was at that moment that Chris lifted his arm and punched Josiah in the face letting out penned up rage while simultaneously knocking the preacher to the ground and basically knocking him out momentarily. However, Chris was no longer paying any attention to Josiah. He was stalking out toward the saloon so that he could drown his sorrows in the bottle.

~*~

The rest of the seven, with the exception of Nathan, watched the argument from the boardwalk. JD and Ezra went to help Josiah, once Chris was a safe distance away from the scene. Meanwhile all Vin and Buck could do was to go back to their table and wait for the gunslinger to do what he would. They would still watch his back even if he wouldn't watch his own. However, they would also think of something. Because both men knew the gunslinger and they both knew they'd just witnessed his fall from so-called glory. 

~*~

Mary Travis had been doing her level best to avoid Chris Larabee and, in truth, all the seven. Chris so easily turning to that other woman so quickly, without even giving her a second thought had hurt her. It hurt her, even though she knew she had no right to lay claims to the man, she supposed she did anyway. So she'd avoided him the best she could.

However, as the sun had come over the horizon she had watched all the seven from her office and had known immediately that something was wrong. And then, like most everyone else in the town she'd heard the shouts. And, like always that reporter's curiosity had once more gotten the best of her and she'd gone out to investigate. She reached the boardwalk just in time to look down the street and see Chris Larabee punch out Josiah Sanchez. 

Her first instinct was to walk down there and asked the man she'd grown to love just what in hell he thought he was doing. She opted not to though, when she saw the rest of the seven standing across the street making no moves, really. However, as she continued to stand there and watch Chris walk into the saloon, no doubt to drink himself into oblivion, again, Mary Travis decided she was going to no longer just stand idly by. She loved Chris Larabee and she was tired of walking on eggshells about it. 

Hence, she removed her ink-covered apron and marched resolutely across the street to the saloon. Her entrance into the building caused quite a stir, with many men howling and making catcalls at her. However, she marched, unaffected in. Her eyes scanned the room and she saw Chris, unmoved by her entrance, sitting in the corner, guzzling shots of whiskey. 

"Mary, what are you doin' here?" Buck asked her as he neared the newspaperwoman, Vin in tow.

"I need to speak to one of you," She said.

"I'll talk to ya, Mary," Vin volunteered, having somewhat expected this and happy that some common sense from somebody had finally come out through all this mess. "Bucklin, you'll stay here and keep an eye on Chris?"  


"Yeah, of course," Buck nodded.

~*~

Ella Gaines tossed in the bed. Nathan was a little surprised when he saw the signs of her regaining consciousness but supposed he had to expect her to awaken sometime, he'd only hoped it hadn't been so soon. He watched her closely as her eyelids fluttered then the dark hazel eyes popped open and darted around the room. After a moment they settled on Nathan and he had to admit, in all his years, after all the hate he'd had to face he'd never felt hate focussed on him so acutely before. The look in her eyes was one of insane hatred and he had to admit feeling some trepidation and sadistic horror at the knowledge of what she'd done in the name of her twisted love.

Almost immediately upon regaining consciousness she started violently struggling for freedom and screaming through the gag. The sounds came out as muffled, low cries of furry. Nathan desperately wanted to stop he but when he'd tried to physically take hold of the woman in order to restrain her she'd only struggled more violently so Nathan decided to try something else.

"Ma'am, now I know you hate me, but right now ya still got yer baby and if you don't want it to die, you gotta stop struggling," Nathan implored hoping that despite her insanity she would have enough love for her unborn child that she might give it the chance to live. He hadn't expected his plea to work however after a moment she stopped struggling. 

However, to Ella's thinking she only cared about the baby in the sense that she still believed that it would ultimately bring she and Chris together. In her mind she struggled to understand why Chris had hurt her. He couldn't. He loved her, she knew he did. He didn't love that bitch he married, he loved her. Why had he hurt her? It made no sense. None at all. 

~*~

"What?" Mary Travis found herself asking incredulously as Vin Tanner explained the situation to her.

"Mary…"

"She's the murderer? And now she's pregnant with Chris' baby?" She was in shock. How could something like this happen? "How did she get away from you?"

"I don't know, Mary. We were in the middle of a fight when Chris came out and started shootin' like a nut. I ran to cover him, and that's when Ella came outta the house. She got on a horse and it was about then that Chris went to shoot her. He hesitated for a second and somebody in the brush shot him. I kneeled down to see how he was but he told me to get her. I got a shot off but missed. Tracked her all over the country side, but she sunk into the landscape," Vin finished with a shake of his head.

"Well, at least that explains why he's drinking like there's no tomorrow," She said despairingly. 

"Yeah," Vin agreed, "But we're worried that there really might not be any tomorrow for him if he doesn't deal with this better."

"Well," Mary said, finding herself having to agree with Vin, "I want to talk to him, now before he gets really drunk."

"Mary, I don't know that that's a good idea…" He stopped, as Mary had already walked back out of her home and towards the saloon. He ran after her.

"Mary!" He called. "Hold yer horses!"

"Why?" She asked turning to speak to him.

"Mary, ya cain't jest walk in there and expect Chris to listen to ya, come on this is Chris we're talkin' about. Hell, on a good day he don't listen to no one, today, who knows what he'll do or how he'll react," Vin reasoned hoping common sense might prevail although when it came to Chris and Mary that tended to be a rarity.

"Are you suggesting that it would be better to just leave him in there to drink himself to death?" Mary asked Vin angrily.

"No, course not. All I'm sayin' is don't go in there half-cocked. Think out what yer gonna say an' have the sense ta say it to 'im at the right time. Mary, right now I'm not sure he'll listen to anybody, but I figure if anybody can get through to him, it's you," Vin finished hoping to have one her over.

Mary saw the truth of Vin's words and felt it would be utterly foolish to go through with what she had originally planned so instead she said simply, "Then I'll let him drink himself into oblivion today. You just make sure he gets to bed safely because tomorrow I'm going to give that man a good talking to!" With that she walked away and Vin shook his head at his own foolishness of thinking that common sense might prevail after all. How could he be so stupid?

~*~

Judge Travis hadn't been far from Four Corners and saying that he was a judge on official business got him to places very quickly, so as a result of this quick service Orrin Travis found that he would probably be in Four Corners by noon tomorrow if he traveled through the night, which he had every intention of doing. 

~*~

As dusk settled it's pink light onto Four Corners' rough landscape day left the place and night would find Chris Larabee in a highly volatile state of drunkenness. He continued to sit somberly in that dark corner of the Standish Tavern having not moved all day. He had managed to get through more whiskey then most men could drink in several days and though, deep inside he knew if he did not head to his room soon he would pass out logic told him if he tried to stand it probably wouldn't work. 

However, for that moment, he was glad he'd had all that whiskey. It had, if only momentarily, burned away the pain and made it barable. Still, no one was willing to get near him. Outwardly he didn't appear remotely drunk, even his voice and his eyes portrayed no signs of inebriation. 

Outward signs that made Larabee look sober, however, did not fool Vin Tanner. Vin and all the others were well aware of the massive amount of alcohol Chris had consumed and they knew it would only be a matter of time before he passed out, at which time they would discreetly take him to his room and Vin would personally do his best to help prepare the man for the thrashing he would no doubt receive come the morrow. While, in their own rights, both Chris and Mary were forces of nature, the one happy light than Vin could foresee at the end of this tunnel was that he sincerely thought that in this fight Chris stood no chance. It seemed everyone but Chris and Mary, but especially Chris, saw how well the two fit together. Hopefully through all this at the very least Mary could help Chris through this because for as close the Vin and Chris were Vin knew instinctively that this time he wasn't going to be able to cut it. 

~*~

It seemed to all those involved in this latest disaster to strike Four Corners that morning came far too quickly. For Chris Larabee it forced back into the world of conscious thought, a world which carried the pain of his life and a hangover the likes of which he hadn't experienced in years and had no desire to face once more.

For Mary Travis this new day brought different but closely tied troubles. While yesterday she had been ready to thrash Chris Larabee into sense today a nights sleep had made her see with much more reality what she was facing. She knew she would have to use everything she had to make him see the truth. She also intended to use his physical state against him. She realized he'd have one hell of a hangover so she decided to go over nice and early, as to catch him in a weakened condition.

Thus, man and woman found themselves in this current situation.

Chris had just finished throwing up in a bucket Vin had left for him, for the second time in about five minutes when he collapsed back onto his bed. It was at that moment that he heard a persistent knocking on his door. He promptly decided to give the person one minute to go away or he was going to take his gun and _blow_ them away. That was until he heard a voice, "Mr. Larabee, open this door!" 

__

Oh, hell, now I'm really screwed. Maybe if I pretend I'm not here…

"I know you're in there so open up!"

__

How does she do that?

"Alright, Alright, I'm coming just talk more quiet!" Chris himself shouted, to his own pain and naucousness. He pulled himself painfully from bed and dragged himself to the door to open it where Mary immediately greeted him.

"Mary," He said, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," She said brushing past him and into his now rather foul smelling room. Upon entrance she walked over to the window and opened it as to allow in some fresh air. 

"Why?"

"Why do you think?" She asked harshly and loudly.

"Don't yell!" He bellowed causing himself pain.

"I'd tell you the same thing," She said in an angry but relatively quiet voice.

"Okay, so I'll ask you one more time, why are you here?"

"I know Chris," Mary hissed looking straight into icy blue eyes that were attempting fervently but unsuccessfully to look indifferent to Mary's quickly escalating tirade.

"Who told you?" He asked with clear menace. He was no longer making any attempt to hide that he cared what Mary thought. That he'd wanted to keep all the sordid details from her and he had no problem with the fact that he had every intention of finding whoever had told her and putting a hurting on them.

"That's unimportant," Mary said. As Chris was about to speak up to argue the fact with her Mary spoke once more, "What's wrong?"

"What do you think is wrong?" Chris spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm and viciousness.

"None of this is your fault, but you have to face the truth," Mary said kindly but sternly, she would not, could not give in.

"What do you know?" He cried out in anger.

"I know that you blame yourself for the deaths of your family. I know that you want revenge on Ella Gaines because she's there murderer but you stopped getting it when you realized she was pregnant with your child. I know that you finally opened up to someone after your wife and son and the thanks you got was learning that an old girlfriend was their murderer. And no one expects you to act like everything's fine because it isn't. But you have no right to just become a hopeless drunk! You need to see your family get justice! You need to be there for the baby you helped create! And you need to be there for the six men who you lead and the town you protect! It's not just about you anymore, it's a lot more then that and you owe it to all of us to fight your demons not just give into them. You're not a coward but you sure are taking the coward's way out! What happened to your family was not your fault! And you had no way of knowing that that woman was insane! You had control over none of those things but what I don't understand is why now that you can finally take some control, now that justice will finally be done and that miserable woman will finally have to face a judge you're giving into the demons! Not only are you acting like a coward you're acting like a fool!" She ended her harsh tirade by walking out the door to leave him with only her words. 

"Mary, wait!" Chris called. Standing up and pushing away the hangover.

She turned, she hadn't expected that. "What?" She asked softly walking back to the doorway of his room where she now stood only about a foot away from him.

"What do I do?" He asked, sounding desperate and desolate. She'd never seen him like that. She knew he was prone to fits of rage, and drinking sprees, but this was something unexpected from the natural born leader; vulnerability, even justified weakness.

"You keep living but make life matter don't waste it in a bottle, it looks like life is giving you another chance, it would be a shame to waste it," She said with a little smile.

"Somebody as smart as you really thinks that this whole mess might work out?"

"Yeah," She said with a soft laugh before getting serious again, "Chris, like I said, you've survived the toughest part already, now you've reached the end of the fight, don't give in now, not now when you're finally going to win," She smiled at him and left him leaning in the doorway with a new sense of purpose and life. He watched the streak of gold walk away knowing that he would win her too, someday.

~*~

Noon came around as quickly as morning had and noon found the judge arriving in Four Corners. This came as a surprise to everyone. Almost as much of a surprise as Chris' clean-, extremely sober appearance that came at the same time as the judge. 

Seeing the black-clad gunslinger heading out looking fresh made Vin turn and smile at Mary Travis who had also seen Chris and smiled back at the tracker acknowledging his thanks.

"Chris," the judge addressed Larabee as he neared, "What's going on?"

"Well, judge, "We caught the murderer of my family and we need some help. But I thought you telegraphed saying it'd be a month till you could come."

"I did, but I got the feeling I was needed now, so I waved my other trial to a fellow judge and traveled all night to get here," Travis said, he was caught off-guard by how calm and relaxed but not indifferent Larabee was to the whole thing. Truthfully he was surprised the murderer was alive to go to trial.

"Well, judge, we thank you for that," He addressed the five protectors present as well as the judge when he said, "Let's go to the jail and talk."

~*~

Moment's later Chris Larabee, Vin Tanner, Buck Wilmington, JD Dunne, Ezra Standish, a bruised and swollen but otherwise healthy Josiah Sanchez, and a somewhat confused Judge Orrin Travis found themselves in the jail.

"So, what in hell is going on here?" Asked the judge when they were finally settled.

"Well," Chris began relating the rather complicated story. He gave the judge a lot of detail and explained his and Ella's relationship, her obsession, her confession, her absolute insanity, and his current situation, plus the incident of 36 hours before.

When Chris was done the judge eased back in his chair and took a deep breath. This whole thing was very difficult to believe. "Well, Chris, I guess the first thing we should talk about is how you feel about this baby. I mean it sounds like you want it, do you?"

With a nod of his head Chris said, "Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay, that maybe difficult. In order for you to get the baby I'll need the mother to say that you're the babies father. This will probably also complicate holding a trial. We'll also, from the sounds of it, need a sanity hearing. I'll need to talk to Mr. Jackson about the lady's condition. Now she confessed to killing your family?"

"Yes," Chris simply answered.

"You're sure?"

"Yes," Chris answered with some frustration beginning show from constantly being questioned.

"Alright then, I'll assume Mr. Jackson is with the lady in question?"

"Yeah."

"Then that's where I'm going, to conduct my sanity hearing, if she's able," the judge spoke before getting up and heading for Nathan's clinic.

~*~ 

Upon hearing the doorknob to his clinic open and someone enter, Nathan stood up and headed to greet whomever his visitor was, fully expecting it to be one of the seven. So, needless to say he was surprised when it was Judge Travis who greeted him. 

"Hello, Judge Travis," Nathan greeted

"Hello, Mr. Jackson," The judge returned kindly as the two men shook hands.

"Judge, I didn't think you could come till a month from now," Nathan commented.

"Neither did I, but I thought I was needed here more so I came straight away."

"Oh, that's good, we really need ya here, you know what's goin' on?" Nathan asked, hoping he did.

"Yes, that's why I've come. How's the patient?"

"Doin' better then I thought she be. She's awake. We got her tied and gagged so I don't 'xactly know if she's okay or not but with her it'd prob'ly be hard to tell anyway, she's purty crazy," He commented.

"May I see her?" 

"Of course, judge."

~*~

"Hello, Miss Gaines," Judge Travis greeted jovially once Nathan had left them. "I'm going to remove this gag in order that you can speak, alright?"

Ella nodded her head furiously and the judge proceeded to untie the gag and allow her the freedom to speak.

"Who are you?" Were to first words that passed her lips.

"My name is Orrin Travis," the judge indicated, not telling her he was a judge.

"Does Chris know you're here?"

"Yes. I'm going to ask you a few questions. You see, I'm investigating these men's tactics and I'd like to know about your situation if that's alright, Miss Gaines?"

"My name isn't 'Miss Gaines'," Ella commented rather ferociously.

"Oh, my apologies, um…what is your name then?"

"Mrs. Chris Larabee," She spoke in a tone that could only be described as regal.

"Alright then…Mrs. Larabee, could you tell me who did this to you?"

"Why?"

"Well, I've heard the law keepers of this town use rather brutal tactics and I just wanted to know if one of them did this to you," The judge asked, and as he did he saw her eyes light up.

"You don't know who did this to me?"

"No, I asked the lawmen of the town but they said they didn't know, who did this to you, ma'am?"

"Those six men, Mr.'s Tanner, Wilmington, Dunne, Sanchez, Jackson, and Standish."

"But not Mr. Larabee?"

"Of course not, he's my husband," She said as if the judge was insane himself.

"I wasn't aware Mr. Larabee had remarried," The judge commented lightly.

"He didn't."

"Oh," The judge said. "Um, is it true that you're with child?"

Despite the bruises, Ella Gaines got a huge smile on her face as she said, "Yes."

"Ah, congratulations. And, I do apologize for asking this, but I must, the father is?"

"My husband, of course," She said sounding somewhat angry at his implication.

"Chris Larabee?"

"That's my husband," She said with a tone of sarcasm.

"Of course," the judge said, "Now, getting back to business, why were you arrested?"

"I have no idea, I've committed no crimes," She said innocently.

"Um, well these men seem to think you are responsible for hiring the men who created a fire in which people died."

"They do, do they?"

"Yes, what is your response to that charge? People died in that fire."

"I committed no crimes, I was simply doing my love a favor."

"So you did hire the man who set the fire that was responsible for the deaths of Sarah and Adam Larabee," The judge asked shocked at how easy this had been.

"Yes, I was fixing my husband's mistake."

"Thank you, that's all I needed."

"Why did they let you question me? If you're going after them?" She asked suspiciously.

"Because they had no choice, I'm a judge," Before she had a chance to respond any further the judge was out the door.

~*~

"Well, Judge, how'd it go?" JD Dunne asked excitedly.

"Quite well for you, Mr. Larabee," The judge addressed Chris.

"How so?"

"She confessed, she said was yours, and proved she was quite insane."

"So, what comes next?"

"Well, we won't need a trial over guilt or innocence because she's confessed. As far as punishment as judge, I cannot have her hang. She's insane, she's got to go to an asylum."

"You're not going to hang her?" Chris stood up and spoke between gritted teeth.

"Do not threaten me Mr. Larabee," The judge warned. "She will spend the rest of her life locked in a room, trust me she will be amply punished but she cannot be held responsible for her actions, she's insane."

Chris took a deep breath. He'd seen the inside of one of those horrid asylums. Ella would fit right in and he guessed if she couldn't hang having her rot in one of those places would be the next best thing. "What about the baby?"

"Well, you're the father so the baby is yours as soon as it's born. Up until then I believe we can do one of two things. First, if you want you can keep her here for the next months until it's time for the baby to be born, or I can send her to an asylum now and bring the baby to you when it's born."

"I don't want the baby to be born in one of those places. Nathan, if it's all right with you, I'd like to keep her here 'til the baby's born," Chris said.

"Sure Chris," Nathan commented. "Fine by me."

"Alright then," Judge Travis said, "I'll make the arrangements right away for her to be transported to an institution as soon as the baby arrives."

~*~

****

7 Months Later

Chris hadn't envisioned that he'd ever be faced with raising a child on his own. But now he had a three-week-old with no mother. Ella Gaines was gone to the asylum in New York where he hoped she rotted until it was time for her to go to hell. The passing months had gone smoothly with Ella restrained constantly in a shack outside of town. When it was time for the baby to come she still had the twisted idea that Chris loved her and they were meant to be together that the baby would bring them together. As he left carrying the tiny bundle she'd been screaming for him to come back. It had sent a cold chill down his spine on the hot August day his daughter had been born.

From the moment he laid eyes on the little bundle he hadn't been sure what to make of her. He thought it would be hard to love her but the moment he laid eyes on his beautiful daughter he could feel nothing but love and adoration towards her.

He at this point with his daughter three weeks old had two problems one being comparatively minor when compared with the other. First, and less important, he couldn't think of what to name the little girl. And second and much more pressing, he was quick discovering his current abode was no place for an infant and he was not cutout to mother a newborn. So in the midst of his tiny, dirty room he sat cross-legged on his bed, baby (as he called her for lack of a name) laid out on her back in front of him. He stared at her. He could face the problems of what would come next, as long as he had this precious angel with him.

A knock on the door cut into his thoughts, "I'm coming," he said as he gently got up, picking up the baby and cradling her in his arms as he walked over to the door and answered it. "Hi, Chris," Mary Travis greeted. "I was wondering if you could use some help?"

Chris smiled and ushered her in, "Yeah, these days I can always use help."

Mary laughed quietly and handed Chris a light blue beautifully knitted baby blanket.

"What's this, Mary?"

"It was Billy's. Well, I've got no use for it now but I thought you might?"

"Yes," Chris said, "Thank you."

"Oh, you're welcome."

As he wrapped his daughter in the blanket Mary had just given to him he noticed she was carrying a basket. "What' that?" He asked suspiciously.

Mary smiled, eyes dancing, the light playing off her golden strands making her look more angel then human. "Well, this is supper, if you're hungry?"

"Yeah, I haven't been eating real regular…"

"I know…um…well, I've been asking around," She blushed slightly before sitting on the bed and opening the basket. "Well, I didn't bring anything special."

"Doesn't matter, I'm starved."

"Good, but before we eat, a toast. A milk toast," She laughed as she poured milk into two fine glasses.

"What are we drinking to?"

"Hmm, lots of things. But mostly to hope and…second chances," She raised her glass.

"To hope and…second chances," Chris echoed with a little laugh. 

They drank and Chris let out a laugh. "What?" Mary asked. "This isn't too foolish, is it?"

"Oh, no you just named my daughter."

"I did?"

"Yup, Hope Sarah Larabee."

"That's beautiful," Mary commented, leaning forward to look at the precious bundle, " And so is she," Mary said her voice full of warmth and love.

"She's not the only one," Chris said as he too leaned forward and touched his lips gently to Mary's.

THE END


End file.
